Control cable coupling



July 23, 1968 L. J. WQLF 3,3 I

CONTROL CABLE COUPLING v Original Filed April 22, 1963 FIG.2

INVENTOR LLOYD J. WOLF BYQ a {Z ATTORN S U i States Patent 3,393,579CONTROL CABLE COUPLING Lloyd J. Wolf, 2425 Irving Blvd., l Dallas, Tex.75207 Application May 2, 1966, Ser. No. 546,882, now Patent No.3,326,314, dated June 20,.1967, which is a division of application Ser.No. 274,599, Apr. 22, 1963, now Patent No. 3,255,837, dated June 14,1966. Divided and this application May 31, 1967, Ser. No. 655,70 2Claims. (Cl. 74-501) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE -An.easily-connectableand disconnectable coupling for transmitting axial movements betweenaxially aligned rods or flexible control cable ends in which one of therods mounts a collar near its free end and the other rod hasan'outwardly threaded fitting with an axial recess open along one sideot receive the free end of the one rod and a groove in the recess sidewalls to receive the collar, the one rod .mounting for axial movement aninwardly threaded fitting'fOr threadably engaging the outwardly threadedfitting on the other rod to close the open side of the recess andthereby retain said collar in the groove.

This application is a divisionof my application Ser. No. 546,882, filedMay -2, 1966, now Patent No. 3,326,314 as a division of Ser. No. 274,599filed Apr. 22, 1963, now Patent 3,255,837;

The invention relates to couplings for transmitting axial movementsbetween a pair of aligned control cables or other rod-like members.

Where manual gear shifts are used on a pair of coupled vehicles, it isdesirable to have them interconnected in such a way that shifting of onewill cause simultaneous identical shifting of the other and it isnecessary that the clutch on the unmanned vehicle be disengageableresponsive to disengagement of the clutch on the manned vehicle and thatthe clutch on the unmanned vehicle be maintained disengaged throughoutthe shifting operation to prevent damage to the transmission of theunmanned Vehicle.

An object of the invention is to provide an easily connectable anddisconnectable coupling between a pair of aligned rods or control cablesas exemplified by separate control cables mechanically connectedrespectivey to the manual gear shift lever of each of a pair of vehiclesfor reproducing the movements of the lever in the control vehicle on thegear shift lever in the unmanned vehicle.

The foregoing and additional objects and advantages will be evident fromthe following description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a gear shift control system embodyingthe invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view, partially sectionalized, of the controlcable connector portion of the gear shift control system.

FIG. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view along line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the lost motion connection of the gearshift control system.

Each of a pair of coupled motor vehicles has a manual gear shift controlincluding the usual hand levers 5 and 7 mounted in bases 9 and 11 on thefloor of the vehicle cab, shifting of the gears in each vehicle beingeffected by combinations of fore-and-aft and transverse movements oflevers 5 and 7. For causing lever 7 to reproduce the movements of lever5, both levers are provided with inverted generally L-shaped arms 13 and15, with their Patented July' 23, 1968 horizontal legs 17 and 19 fixedto the lower exposed portion of the lever and extending transversely ofthe vehicle. Their upright legs 21 and 23 are formed with vertical, orlengthwise slots 25 and 27. Fulcrum pins 29 and 31 are transverselyaligned with the pivot points of levers Sand 7 and affixed, by means ofbrackets 33 and 35, to bases 9 and 11. Pins 29 and 31 extendtransversely therefrom through slots 25 and 27 inthe upright legs 21 and23 of arms 13 and 15, so that fore-and-aft movements of levers 5 and 7will produce corresponding reverse movements of the lower ends of legs21 and 23, and transverse movements of levers '5 and 7 will producecorresponding transverse movements of the lower ends of legs 21 and 23.

The lower ends of legs 21 and 23 are connected by a flexiblemotion-transmitting cable system 37' which con sists of a length ofsheathed cable 39 attached to the lower endof arm 13, and a similarlengthof cable 41 attached by means of lost motion connector 36 to thelower end of arm 15, cable 39 terminating at the rear end of forwardmotor vehicle 1 and cable 41'terminating at the forward end of rearmotor vehicle 3. Lost motion connector 36 (as best seen in FIG. 7)comprises a rod or bolt 38 connected to the end of cable 41 adjacent arm15, and fixedly mounting a pair of spaced collars or washers 44.Intermediate washers 44 and apertured block 46 is slidably mounted onrod 38 and is normally centered between collars 44 by springs 48, whichare mounted on rod 38 between block 46 and collars 44. Block 46 isattached to the end of arm 15 by a threaded stud 50, so that, when cable41 is translated by fore-and-aft shifting movements or gear shift lever5 in the lead vehicle, if the gears of the trailing vehicle are out ofregistry, springs 48 will yield, permitting rod 38 to slide throughblock 46, until the gears come into registry; when this occurs, springs48 will center block 46, causing the desired movement of lever 7 andcompletion of the shift. The rear end of cable 39 and the forward end ofcable 41 terminate in rod portions 43 and 45, which project respectivelyfrom sheaths 40 and 42 of cables 39 and 41. A male fitting 47 is mountedon and pinned at 49 to the forward end of rod portion 45. Male fitting47 is of generally cylindrical shape and its forward portion is formedwith a recess 51 of U-shape in transverse section with the curvedportion of the U concentric with the axis of the fitting, andintermediate its ends, recess 51 is formed with a transverse groove 53,also of U-shape. Forward rod portion 43 is provided with a collar 55near its extremity and collar 55 is adapted to be fitted into groove 53in male fitting 47 with rod 43 received in recess 51. A female fitting57 is threadably or slidably mounted on rod member 43 and its recess isinteriorly threaded as at 59 for engagement with the exterior threads 61on the male member 47 so that when collar 55 is seated in groove 53, rod43 can be held in fixed relation to. rod 45 by tightening female member57 on male member 47. For maintaining the sheaths 40 and 42 of the cablein fixed spaced relation, a clamping bar 63 is provided with upstandingends 65 forked for reception in suitable slots 67 in the end portions ofthe cable sheaths 40 and 42. With this arrangement, it will be evidentthat any axial movements transmitted to cable 39, as a result offore-and-aft movements of lever 5, will be transmitted through cable 39,threaded rod 45, cable 41, and lost motion connector 36, to arm 15,causing corresponding rotation of upright leg 23 about fulcrum pin 31and thus producing the same fore-and-aft movement of lever 7 as wasinitiated by lever 5.

For transmitting transverse movements of lever 5, the lower end of arm13 is connected by means of a transversely extending link 69 to an armof a bell crank 71 fulcrumed at 73 on motor vehicle 1 and extendinggenerally lengthwise thereof. The other arm of bell crank 71 extendsgenerally, transversely of the vehicle and is conn st d sx mean 19 fl xiab eyt m7i r. n.

construction and operation to cable system 37, to a transverselyextending arm of aibell crank 77 fulcrumed at 79 on motor vehicle 3. Theother arm of bell crank 79 extends lengthwise of vehicle 3 and isconnected by a transversely extending link 81 to the lower end of arm 15so that any transverse movements of gear shift lever 5, acting throughlink 69, bell crank 7 1,,fiexible cable arrangement ,75, bell crank 77and link 81,, will cause a corresponding transverse movement of gearshift lever 7 in motor vehicle 3. V

Operation of the invention is as follows: To secure the gear shiftsystems of the two vehicles in operative relation, clam 63 is attachedto the adjacent ends of cable sheaths 40 and 42, collar 55 on theprotruding threaded rod end, 43 of cable 39 is seated in U-slot 53 ofmale coupling fitting 47, female fitting 57 is rotated on or slid alongrod 43, until it threadably engages the male 'fitting 47 and is rotateduntil the two fittings are secured in the position shown in FIG. 2, inwhich the male fitting abuts the forward end of the recess in the femalefitting. Cable system 75.is then similarly connected, so that all axialmovements 'of the forward cables will be transmitted exactly to the rearcables. Gear shift lever 5 of the leading vehicle is thereuponmanipulated as desired either by a transverse movement or a fore-and-aftmovement or a combination of both movements, which movements aretransmitted by means of arm 13, cable systems 37 and 75 and arm 15 togear shift lever 7 of the trailing vehicle 3.

The invention may be modified in various respects as will occur to thoseskilled in the art and the exclusive use of all modifications as comewithin the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. A coupling for transmitting axial movements between a pair of alignedrods comprising a female fitting "mounted on one of said rods for axialm'ov ment herealong and ngm u, axial recess. opene wrt sstardt-tneadjacent end of the rod, a collar rigidly mounted on said one rodbetween the mounting thereon of said female fitting and the adjacentextremity of said rod, a male fitting fixedly mounted on' the adjacentend of the other rod and having an axial recess openat' one side andadapted to receivewthe end-portion of saidone rod and a groove in theside walls of said male fitting receiving said collar, said femalefitting-threadablyreceiving said male fitting by axially moving androtating "said female fitting along and about said one rod. v

2. A coupling for sheathed control; cables having a sheath and a cableaxially movable .therein comprising means for holding the adjacent endsof the cable sheaths against relative axial movement,- the end portionsof the cables protruding from the ends of the sheaths, a female fittingmounted orithe 'protruding'end portion of said one cable for .axialmovement-therealongand having an axial 'recess open towardthe freeendyacollar rigidly mounted on the protruding portionv ofs'aid "onecable between the mounting thereonlof said female fitting and the freeend thereof, a male fitting fixedly mounted on the protruding :portionofthe other cables and having an axialrec'ess open at one side-andreceiving the free end of said one cable and'a groove in the side wallsof said male fitting receiving said collar, said female-fittingthreadably receiving said male-fitting by axially moving and rotatingsaid female fitting along and about said protruding end of said onecable.

References Cited 1. UNITED STATES QPATENTS MILTON KAUFMAN, Primary Exanz iner. l

